Dispensing powder reservoir



Oct. 6, 1936. L. B. DOUGLASS ET AL DISPEN SING POWDER RESERVOIR Filed May 51 1955 A 0/34 a 00062 A015 r 2 W m a M r a W J M 5 m m H Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNETED STATES 2,056,173 DISPENSING POWDER RESERVOIR Lora B. Douglass and Richard E. Desc hner,

Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 31, 1935, Serial No. 24,274

' 9 Claims. (c1.221-'1s) Our invention relates to improvements in transfer devices, for transferring finely comminuted hand whereby a lady may transfer handily face powder from the powder box in which it is bought to the compact which she usually carries in her purse and as a result the transfer incurs a waste of time, energy and powder. It also-often happens that since compacts are small and have but little capacity women find their'compacts empty when they need the powder most. r

It is therefore" one of the principal objects of a this invention to construct a means to meet the foregoing conditions and requirements, and

whereby a woman may quickly and easily fill a compact completely, without spilling partof the powder in the'operation. r r

Still another object of the invention is toprovide a device of the'above character which'may be used to more'densely pack powder in a compact.

A still further object attained by'the invention is that of providing a simple, inexpensive and foolproof mechanism; the operation of" which is easily comprehended by the average woman.

Other distinct and advantageous objects will be apparent after a perusal of thefollowing description including the matter claimed.

In the drawing, wherein are disclosed what at present are deemed to be preferred embodiments of the invention now reduced to practice Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the device showing the cover in a detached relation.

Fig. 2 is a vertical mid-sectionshowing the device inan operative relation to a box of powder.

shown in adetached relation and the outer wall broken away to illustrate pulling out the piston rod thereby placing the article in an operating position whereby toexpel the contents.

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating the-manner in which powder is expelled from the device into a com pact;

Fig.6 is a fragmentary mid-sectional view of the piston and adjacent parts.

Fig. '7 is a full transverse section taken on line l'i of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an alternate embodiment of the structure shown in Fig. 6, and,

Fig. 9 is a full transverse section taken on'line 9-9 of'Fig. 8.

Referring in detail to the. several views, the numeral 8 indicates a hollow cylinder, providing a repository for transferring finely comminuted material such as talcum powder used in a ladys make-up, from a supply source to a com.- pact. Said cylinder has a top 2 which is provided with an axially drilled aperture 20. to per- The piston rod 3 is provided with'a head 4 and a slidable piston. 5. Said head provides a finger hold whereby the piston may be selectively reciprocated in the cylinder and the piston rod slid mit free reciprocation therein of thepiston rod 3.

within the piston as will be more fully hereinafter described. a I

The preferred details of the piston construction' 5 are shown'in Fig. 6, and particularly referring to the latter figure the structure includes the metal'balls-t housed in the tapered preferably frusto-conical cavity 6a. Said balls act as a silent ratchet to allow rod 3 to slip upwardly thru the piston but restrict its downward movement. When the deviceis inverted, the balls, due to their own weight gravitate out of engagement with the tapered inner surface of the cavity 6a and release rod 3 so it may slide freely up or down in the bore of the piston 5. The cavity Ba is furnished with a contracted throat to located axially of the piston rod and at the large end of the cavity." When the rod is in place, the annular space 'therearound, where it passes thru said throat is too narrow to allow the balls to escape. The'lower end of the piston rid 3 is provided with a flange iia'which prevents the piston rod from becoming detached entirely from the piston.

Ingassembling the balls 6, piston head 5 and piston rod 3, the balls are first inserted thru the throat of the cavity 60. and then the piston rod, before it is upset at 301., is projected into said throat and thence thru the piston head, the head being inverted to allow the balls to gravitate back towards said throat during the insertion of the -rod. The enlarged portion of chamber 6a,- adjacent to its throat to, simplifies and stabilizes" the structure of the piston head around said chamber, avoiding the necessity of using additional parts to keep the balls from escaping.

Said flange when the piston rod is drawn upwardly thru the piston contacts with the wall la. of the recess 7. When the piston rod is pushed down, it moves a short distance thru the piston incident to the clutching action of the balls. Likewise the flange 3a will also advance slightly but never farther than flush with the head of the piston.

The piston is provided with an annular groove 8a and into said groove is fitted a crescentshaped spring wire 8 the free ends of which bear lightly against the inner wall of the cylinder and prevent the piston assembly from falling completely thru the cylinder due to its own weight. This construction is particularly necessary if the device is to be filled from a nearly empty powder box, because the piston tends to fall at first and expel the powder when only a small amount has been forced into the cylinder.

In Fig. 8 is shown a modified form of the piston construction. In the modification shown the piston 5a is made with a slanting top 5b. 9 indicates a hardened metal washer which is loosely fitted to the piston rod so as to fall down and bind on the rod 3 when the device is held in the position shown and thus allow only upward movement of the piston rod thru the piston. When this assembly is inverted, washer 9 due to its own weight, slips away from the piston and allows the piston rod to move freely up or down through the piston. The numeral ll] indicates a rubber washer whose function is the same as the spring wire 8 employed in the construction shown in Fig. 6.

The various steps in the operation of the device are pictorially shown in Figs. 1 to 5. In Fig. 1 the device is shown empty with the cap l2 removed. In Fig. 2, cylinder I is being pushed into the powder I3 which is contained in the box l4. As the cylinder moves down, powder packs up into it raising the piston 5 in the cylinder. The height of the head 4 above the top 2 indicates to the operator when the device is full. In Fig. 3, the device is inverted and the cap I2 is applied. Now, since in Fig. 3 the device is inverted, the clutch mechanism of the piston is released and the piston rod may be pushed through the powder l3 into the cylinder until the head of the piston abuts against the top of the container. The device is now ready to be carried as a reservoir of powder after the cap is applied.

When the operator desires to use the powder contained in the device, she turns it right side up as shown in Fig. 4, extends the rod completely,

then removes the cap I2. The upright position of the piston clutch mechanism makes it engage with the piston rod so that the rod 3 cannot move downward without carrying piston 5 with it. The operator then places the device over the container which is to receive the powder, as shown in Fig. 5, and presses down on the head 4, tamping the pdwder in place by moving the whole device up and down as the powder is ejected.

The piston shown in Fig. 6 is the same as that shown throughout the several views in describing the operation. Piston 5a in Fig. 8 operates to produce the same results in the same manner as piston 5.

The construction shown in Fig. 8, in common with that shown in Fig. 6, is provided with ratchet means'acting between the head and rod of the piston which gravitates to an inoperative position when the device is inverted.

It is to be understood that the forms of our invention, herewith shown and described, are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as defined by the subject matter claimed.

Thus having fully described our invention, we claim:

1. In a device of the kind described, a cylinder having an open end to receive and eject powder, a piston comprising a head within said cylinder and a rod, said head having an axial frusto-conical cavity therein, said cavity having a contracted throat surrounding said rod and being otherwise unobstructed, and a set of balls admissible to said cavity thru said throat before said rod is inserted, there being a clearancearoundsaid balls to permit them to gravitate to a clutching position in relation to said rod when the device is in an upright position with its open end uppermost and to gravitate to an inoperative position when the device is inverted.

2. In a device of the kind described, a cylinder having an open end to receive and eject powder, a piston within said cylinder, said piston comprising a head and a rod in a slidable relation to said head and a ratchet device acting between said rod and head, said rod being manually accessible at one end and being upset at the other end and there being a recess around said rod in said head to allow the upset end of said rod to be retracted a sufficient distance to prevent its protrusion beyond that end of the head before the ratchet device becomes effective.

3. In a device of the kind described, a cylinder having an open end to receive and eject powder, a piston comprising a head having a working fit within said cylinder and a rod, said head having an external circumferential groove, and a crescent-shaped spring in said groove, the ends of said spring'frictionally engaging the inner surface of said cylinder to maintain said piston yieldingly in adjusted positions.

4. In a device of the kind described, a cylinder, a piston head having a working fit therein, said head having within it a frusto conical chamber which opens out at one face of the head thru a contracted throat, there being a bore leading from said chamber to the opposite face of said head, said throat being surrounded by an integral portion of said head, a piston rod extending thru said head and chamber and having a working fit within said bore, and a set of balls within said chamber, said balls being of a sufficient diameter to act as clutch elements and being too large to escape through said throat around said rod.

5. In a device of the kind described, a cylinder having an open end, a piston comprising a head having a slanting top within said cylinder and a rod slidably mounted in said piston, and ratchet means comprising a washer loosely fitted to said rod and cooperating with said slanting top to clutch and unclutch the piston with relation to the rod when the cylinder is held in an upright and inverted position respectively.

6. In a device of the kind described, a cylinder having an open end, a piston comprising a head T-shaped in section with the base tapered within said cylinder, a rod slidably mounted in said piston, and a washer loosely fitted to said rod and movable to and from a position wherein it rests T-shaped in section with the base tapered within said cylinder, a rod slidably mounted in said piston, a rubber washer connected to the shank of the T and frictionally engaging the walls of said cylinder and a metal washer loosely fitted to said rod and movable to and from a position wherein it rests on said taper.

8. In a device of the kind described, a cylinder, one end of which is closed and provided with an axial bore and the other end open, a piston mounted in said cylinder, and a piston rod slidably mounted in said piston and having one end extending thru said bore, said piston being provided with an internal cavity, and clutch balls mounted in said cavity, said balls'being unrestricted to gravitate to and from a clutching vposition in relation to said rod.

9. The subject matter of claim 8 and, the cavity of said piston having a contracted mouth portion around said rod to retain said balls the lip of which is integral with the peripheral portion of said piston.

LORA B. DOUGLASS. RICHARD E. DESCHNER. 

